Give it a Shot
by emxy
Summary: Mercedes wins two VIP tickets to see The Warblers, a new boy band. Kurt's not a fan, but agrees to go along anyway.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So this is the first part of my band!AU fic craze my head is currently stuck in. It's completely different from everything I ever write - I usually get stuck in angst spirals but this is just going to be fluffy and happy._

_Also, I was completely terrified of writing Mercedes, but I hope I did her justice._

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><p>Everything was ready. The snacks were on the coffee table with a pile of musical DVDs next to them. It had been a long time since Kurt had been able to have Mercedes over for a girly film session, since they both had a lot of homework and the Hummel-Hudsons were trying to settle into their new house properly. So when he had received a text from his best friend stating that she had some exciting news, he suggested that they re-instate the tradition that had become more sacred to him than the Friday night dinners with his family.<p>

As soon as the doorbell rang, Kurt rushed to the door and threw the door open, grabbing Mercedes' wrist and hauling her inside. She flashed a smile of understanding before pulling him in for a big hug.

"It's been too long," she whispered and Kurt was relieved that she understood. Sure, they saw each other in school and in glee club all the time, but it wasn't the same. He had never felt as close with anyone as he did with Mercedes and they just didn't get much time these days.

"So," his best friend said, pulling back from the hug, firing that excited, mischievous smirk usually saved for a particular juicy bit of gossip. "You'll never guess what happened." Kurt led the way to the living room, trying to keep his face looking unimpressed and vaguely bitchy.

"Really? I should've guessed, the only thing that gets you this excited is gossip." He sat down on the couch and changed his expression to a curious grin. "But I'll admit, I do enjoy it too. So who's up to something?" Mercedes just shook her head at him.

"Oh no," she said firmly, giving the boy her best diva look. "This is all about me. And you." She paused for effect, watching Kurt raise his eyebrow in amusement. "Oh, Cedes, I love you, but we went through this last year and I'm-" The girl squeaked and hit her friend's arm playfully. "Don't flatter yourself, boy," she replied. "Anyway, now that you've ruined my expertly planned build up," Mercedes shot a death glare across the couch as she heard Kurt snort and try to suppress a giggle. "I won two tickets to see The Warblers next Saturday and I'm bringing you!"

Kurt could see that Mercedes' face was lighting up with excitement but he was just confused.  
>"The Warblers?" he asked even though he knew that his friend would probably threaten to cut him for not knowing who they were. But she surprised him, just smiled softly and leaned her head to one side as if she was watching something cute and entertaining.<p>

"I forget sometimes that you don't like new music," she stated simply. "You're so stuck in your classic Broadway and soft jazz that you can't keep up with the rest of the world."

Kurt gasped and pretended to be offended. "I'm sorry? I'm ahead of every person in Lima, maybe even all of Ohio when it comes to cutting-edge fashion and I'd just rather not listen to new music. It's too simple and repetitive and doesn't appeal to me. Also I know I sing way better than most people on the radio these days." Mercedes smiled at the boy who was an even bigger diva than she was and nodded.

"I'm just playing, boo. Anyway, I'm well aware that you probably won't like The Warblers. They're really good singers but let's just say that their style won't appeal to you." Kurt leaned in closer, intrigued by the statement. People always thought they knew him and there was nothing he loved more than proving them wrong.

"Is that so? Because last time I checked, you and I were pretty similar. Is this one of your little guilty pleasures?" Mercedes nodded, picking a chocolate out of the bowl on the table.

"Actually, they're a boy band so… yes." She laughed at Kurt who groaned and covered his eyes with his left arm, slouching back against the couch. "But, they're really cute and you know I'm not about to ask anyone else and have to reveal my awful taste to them!" She poked Kurt in the ribs playfully, trying to get a reaction out of him. "Come on, give it a chance! It'll be fun, just you and me staring at some cute boys. Oh and did I tell you we've got VIP with backstage passes and everything?"

Kurt smiled now. He knew Mercedes was really happy about winning, apparently this meant a lot to her and what kind of friend would he be if he didn't encourage her insanity? So he moved his arm, sat up straight and nodded.

"Ok, Cedes. Of course I'll come and see a _boy band_ with you. I'll even jump up and down and scream like all the twelve year old girls there. Then afterwards, we can have a sleepover and do our hair and talk about who's cuter and how we're gonna marry the shy one or the bad boy one." He loved that Mercedes could take his bitchiness so well, she just laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh no, I think the heartthrob leader is your type." Kurt just shook his head, amused by the fact that he was going to see a manufactured boy band in concert. He was surprised to find that he was actually looking forward to it.

"I just have one condition," he said, suddenly looking completely serious. Mercedes tried to stop giggling, but couldn't so she just gestured to him to go on while she tried to calm herself down.  
>"I get to choose the movie," Kurt said, still deadly serious. Mercedes just laughed harder and nodded, settling back on the couch, getting ready to watch RENT for the sixteenth time.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Hey there! Thank you all so much for the reviews and alerts, I really didn't expect it. This was just a silly idea that popped into my head so I'm really happy you guys like it already. My plan is to update this pretty regularly and I would have updated over the weekend but I had an audition so in the end I didn't have any time to write at all. Anyway, here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it!  
><em>

Since Kurt first heard of The Warblers, he couldn't seem to escape them. At school, there always seemed to be a group of girls around who would be giggling about the singers. That whole week, he had witnessed a large part of the female students at McKinley High School apparently going insane, squealing and singing and some of them had even learned some of the dance routines. He was glad it was finally Friday, until he realised the reason that the madness was getting worse. The Warblers were playing their Ohio concert the next day.

"Hey, boo. Remember we've got a date tomorrow," Mercedes appeared at Kurt's locker after glee club with her warm smile reserved only for her closest friends. Kurt rolled his eyes and gestured towards a group of singing girls heading down the hall.

"How could I forget?"

"And could you ask your dad if I could stay over tomorrow night?" Kurt raised an eyebrow at the request.

"I thought we were just kidding about the sleepover," he shot back, closing his locker. "You actually want to do the whole gossip and makeover thing? Because I'm warning you, once I get started, there's no turning back." Mercedes laughed and hooked her arm through Kurt's, leading him out of the school.

"Boy, you know there is nothing wrong with my style." She stopped and turned to her friend with a concerned look in my eyes. "Seriously though, my mom will freak if she finds out I'll be backstage at a concert tomorrow night, so do you think you and your dad can cover for me?" Kurt nodded, heading towards the parking lot again.

"I'll tell him we're going to a show, it doesn't really matter as he can never remember the details anyway. He trusts me so I imagine there won't be any problems there." They reached Kurt's car and stopped again for a hug.

"I'll be over tomorrow afternoon then, so you can give me a bit of a makeover?" Kurt smiled at his friend gratefully.

"Oh god yes," he sighed wistfully. "We need to do something about that hair." Mercedes pretended to look offended but quickly laughed it off, heading towards her own car.

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><p>The Saturday afternoon had been a lot of fun, it reminded Kurt of the old days, before his dad's heart attack and all the stress that came afterwards. He was finally let loose on Mercedes' hair and managed to help her find accessories to go with her loud purple dress and silver handbag. They spent most of the afternoon gossiping about people in glee club, who was dating who now and several times pointing out that they should just calm down and focus on actually liking the rest of the club as friends.<p>

Kurt knew that Mercedes felt bad about dragging him along to the concert and even asked some questions about The Warblers once they were in the car. Mercedes lit up and explained that they were a five-piece from Ohio. Blaine was the charming, heartthrob lead and while David was also charming, he always seemed older and relaxed, more like an older brother. Jeff was the cute blonde with excellent dance moves and Nick seemed kind of shy in most of the interviews, but he was a great singer. The one Mercedes was really interested in though was Wes. She admitted she had a huge crush on him and his bad boy attitude and just laughed at Kurt when he made a comment about the "classic boy band concept". He kept quiet after that though and let her go on. The boys were all seventeen and were discovered in a private school in Westerville for the "musically gifted". Apparently they had tutors with them on tour so they never fell behind on their school work, or at least that's what they said in the latest Teen Vogue interview.

Kurt asked a few more questions about Wes, loving the thrilled reaction his friend got from being able to talk about her celebrity crush. It was only fair anyway, she was always forced to listen to Kurt go on about models or actors and they rarely found the same guys attractive. She started reeling off facts quickly and Kurt found himself struggling to keep up with the girl talking animatedly in the passenger seat. He did pick up on the fact that the singer had a girlfriend though, who was some kind of child-star-turned-model and lived in LA. Not that it mattered, Mercedes added. Besides, celebrities don't date fans.

"Girl, you got it bad," Kurt quipped, with a matching impression of the amused-but-judging face Mercedes usually used for any of the glee girls when they were pining over someone. His best friend didn't seem embarrassed at all, just chuckled at his joke.

"I'll admit, white boy, that was good. And I totally had that coming." She dug her iPod out of her handbag and connected it to the car's speaker system and started blasting out The Warblers' latest hit.

"And I suppose I had that one coming too," Kurt sighed, noting mentally that there was only about ten minutes left of the drive and he was going to sit through the whole concert anyway, so he might as well get used to the cheesy pop songs now.

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><p>Apparently, guest list visitors had to enter through the stage door, which was a thick black door that led them straight to a dark staircase lit up with a single yellowish lighbulb hanging from the ceiling.<p>

"How glamorous," Kurt stated dryly, making his way up the stairs, flashing his VIP All Access (except dressing rooms) laminated card to the bald, gruff-looking security guard. He argued for a second about having to wear the card around his neck as it really didn't work with his outfit, but a stern look from Mercedes made him change his mind and hang it around his neck, tucking it down the collar of the shirt so it wouldn't be visible.

Inside the second door, it looked a lot better, but still nothing like either of them had imagined. There were tables and chairs spread around the room, a couple of black couches and a huge bar. Kurt walked up to the bar and got a couple of cokes, which were apparently included in the hospitality for the competition winners, and joined Mercedes who was sitting on one of the black couches.

"Do you think they'll come out here?" she asked, looking around the room. "No, they probably won't, they won't want to hang out with fans," she continued before taking a sip of her coke. Kurt gave her an encouraging smile and squeezed her free hand, recognising instantly that the diva was nervous.

Suddenly, Mercedes froze up and Kurt turned his head to look in the direction she was staring. A tall, good-looking Asian boy was heading their way. He was wearing a leather jacket and dark, worn jeans. That must be Wes, Kurt thought to himself as the boy sat on the couch opposite and asked if Mercedes was the competition winner. She relaxed instantly and nodded, smiling. Kurt leaned in to whisper in her ear that he was going to go off and find a bathroom. He slipped away, hearing the girl explain that Kurt was her best friend, so he had agreed to come with her.

Kurt had no idea what to do after leaving Mercedes, however. He started worrying a bit about leaving her alone, considering Wes' bad boy reputation, but realised that he actually seemed incredibly nice and after all, there were a few other people in the room. The bartender would probably keep an eye on her after all. So he decided to do a bit of exploring, see if he could use the hideous laminated pass to find any other interesting places.

"Hey," Kurt spun around instantly at the voice. He had wandered off into a corridor that seemed to be covered completely in posters and flyers from previous concerts. Standing in a doorway was a boy who looked like he could be his age or maybe a couple of years older, dressed in a plain navy t-shirt and black jeans. He probably worked there, Kurt thought and started freaking out a little bit. Was he not supposed to be in here? There was no guard trying to stop him from coming in and he hadn't seen any signs.

"Oh, sorry, I'll just head back…" Kurt started, but the other boy smiled at him and shook his head.

"No, don't worry, I was just wondering if you were lost or something. I haven't seen anyone except the techies come down here today." Kurt relaxed and smiled back.

"I decided to take a walk, I'm here with my friend who won the competition and she got to talking to someone from the band. I'm not really a fan, just moral support."

The boy nodded, running a hand through his dark, curly hair and sighed.

"Not the boy band type?" He teased. "I could tell."

"Definitely not," Kurt replied. "I prefer musicians who write their own music and work their way up rather than pay off some manager to make them famous overnight. People who are passionate and…"

"And struggle?" The boy offered. Kurt just shrugged.

"I guess. I mean, if you've had painful experiences, you have more emotion to pour into your music. And I don't just mean for lyrics, but it's essential for performances too." The boy took a step closer and looked up into Kurt's eyes. He had just noticed it, but that boy was a little bit shorter than him. He carried himself as if he was a lot taller though. Also he had really nice hazel eyes. They looked golden with a splash of green in the middle.

"I take it you're a musician. But I get what you mean. These guys get forced together, without even a second thought of whether they get along or not, just because they look and sound good as a group. And then they just sell the teen dream image to those girls and then what happens when they're over? Who knows? You just never hear from them again." He paused, looking thoughtful. "Do you have a name?" He asked after a moment of comfortable silence.

"Kurt. You?" Just then a man in a crew t-shirt ran into the corridor, waving a cell phone around.

"Blaine! We need you, show's in 20. And you dropped your phone." The boy – Blaine – smiled apologetically at Kurt and sprinted off after the roadie. "I'll see you after the show then, Kurt!" He called over his shoulder, smiling.

By the time Kurt made it back to the backstage bar, Wes had left and Mercedes was nervously checking her cell. He managed to sit on the armrest of the couch without her noticing and slyly poked her shoulder.

"Oh god, boy, you almost gave me a heart attack! Where have you been?" Kurt just grinned.

"I went for a walk and got distracted. How was Wes?" Mercedes got up off the couch, dragging Kurt off to a door that apparently lead to their VIP box and launched into a speech about how Wes had been lovely and she had also met David, who was just as charming in real life as on TV. She was confused though, she added, because it seemed for a while like Wes had been flirting with her but he has a girlfriend and celebrities aren't interested in their fans in that way. Kurt reminded her that she was stunning and also a fabulous diva and it would be difficult for anyone to not appreciate and "want a piece of that" as she would say. Mercedes giggled and sat down in her seat, gushing over how amazing the whole evening was, especially their seats, they were so close to the stage. Kurt let her talk, occasionally adding a comment about how many people were in the crowd or how nice everyone who worked at the venue were.

Mercedes grabbed Kurt's hand as the lights dimmed and the stage lights turned on. A huge roar erupted from the crowd below. Two boys bounced onto the stage, one with blonde and one with brown hair. "Jeff and Nick," Mercedes pointed out. Another two, Wes and David joined them on the stage and all four of them turned their backs towards the audience. As the last boy joined them, the roar seemed to get impossibly louder and at the same time Kurt's heart leapt. Blaine.

_Shit._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Another update? In less than 24 hours? That's insane, I know! But this story won't leave me alone. I know what's happening further on in the future but at this point it's writing itself and I'm so curious to find out what happens. Anyway, have an update. The ending is definitely rushed, but I needed to tie the thing together and this is just kind of what happened. Also, thank you SO much for the reviews and alerts, I am completely overwhelmed and so glad you're enjoying it. So, I'll leave you alone now, sorry about my long rambles._

The concert was actually a lot better than Kurt anticipated. While the songs weren't very original or even good, the boys were excellent performers. Their voices were perfect together, some of their harmonies sent chills down Kurt's spine. They were all good dancers, although David and Jeff did outshine the others a little in that department. But the thing that Kurt actually found impressive was their energy. They did the show with huge, genuine smiles on their faces and pouring 100% authentic emotion into the songs, even if they were boring love songs written for teenage girls. He even found himself getting into it after a while, though he spent the first part of the show mentally beating himself up for saying those things to anyone, let alone the lead singer of the group who was playing. To be fair, he didn't know who Blaine was, but he still should have realised after he heard his name and maybe run after him and apologised. But then, Blaine didn't seem offended, in fact, he had seemed quite bitter about the whole boy band thing. And he did say "see you after the show" so maybe Kurt could get his chance to apologise after all.

So he tried to let it go, get into the music and found himself dancing along with Mercedes pretty soon. He watched the boys move across the stage, switching places so the next boy could sing a verse, making room for a dance solo in an instrumental break. He saw how the girls reacted to Jeff tossing his blond hair out of his eyes, Nick's shy little smiles and Wes' outrageous flirting with everyone right at the front. He chuckled to himself as David started bouncing on the spot, clapping his hands, signalling for the audience to join him, but before long, he too was clapping away in the box with Mercedes. They were all born performers, he thought, watching Blaine run to the front of the stage and high-five a whole row of screaming girls during the last number. He couldn't help think that if Blaine didn't have the other guys backing him up though, it wouldn't be the same. He had zoned out several times during the show, doing the choreography automatically, without any feeling, but then without warning it was as if someone flipped a switch and he was back out there, flirting and grinning and being the star that he had become literally overnight.

As the stage lights died down and people started shuffling out, Kurt thought about whether he should tell Mercedes about his earlier encounter with the gorgeous lead, but as his friend rambled on about her favourite songs and dance moves, he decided they'd have plenty of time to analyse the conversation in the car or at home.

"Do you want to hang around for a bit?" He asked instead. He really wanted to talk to Blaine again, he was suddenly so curious to find out more about this boy. That little glimpse of the guy who seemed disillusioned with the music business was like an itch in Kurt's mind that wouldn't go away by itself. He had to at least try. So he turned to his friend who stared at him with wide eyes, nodding fiercely.

"Can we?" she asked. "Your dad won't kill us?" Kurt just laughed.

"Mercedes, I'm a boring kid. I have never been out past curfew, I'm not even sure I have a curfew any more. As long as we don't come home drunk or covered in hickeys I'm pretty sure he'll let it slide. Besides, he said himself that he wants me to go out and have fun every now and then." That was true, Burt had recently expressed his concern for Kurt. He worried that his son wasn't letting himself be a teenager and actually enjoy things, but instead focused on looking after his dad and working at the shop. That wasn't the kind of life he wanted for his boy, so he stepped in, reminded Kurt that Carole and Finn were around these days so he would fine and he should go out and actually be a kid for once.

Mercedes thought for a second and sighed, hugging her friend's arm. "I am so jealous," she stated, pushing a door open and walking back towards the bar. "Your dad is so understanding and he really does just want what's best for you."

"Your parents want the same for you, 'Cedes. They just have different methods. And you turned out great anyway," Kurt replied, looking around for that dark curly hair and the golden eyes. He wanted to find the boy and sort some things out.

He spotted four of the band members sitting together in a corner, talking eagerly about something. Of course the one missing would be Blaine. He tried to nudge Mercedes to get her attention, but she was clinging to his arm so it was difficult to move it.

"Hey," he said softly. "Do you want to go talk to them? I've got to find someone." Mercedes looked a little confused at first, but then the penny dropped.

"Oh, the distraction from earlier? Boy, you are telling me _all_ about this later. But right now, there's a cute guy waving me over." Kurt grinned, as much as he deserved to go out and have fun, his best friend deserved it even more. Her family expected her to excel in school so most nights she stayed in studying and then her singing took up the rest of her time.

"Make sure he knows what he's missing," he replied as the girl let go of his arm and strutted towards the group of boys. He watched them talk for a moment, concluding that yes, Wes was most definitely into her and yes, David was most definitely acting like a protective older brother. Satisfied with the situation, Kurt moved on towards the corridor where he had met Blaine earlier. He didn't know if he'd be there but it was worth a shot.

"Hi again," that same smooth voice from earlier greeted Kurt as he entered the corridor. Blaine was sitting on the floor, leaning against a poster-covered wall. He was still dressed for the show in a steel gray shirt, a navy jacket and the black jeans from earlier.

"I was just taking a moment to pull myself together, but I was about to go out and look for you." He gestured for Kurt to sit on the floor next to him. Kurt hesitated, the jeans he was wearing were one of the only designer pieces he owned. Usually he bought cheaper, similar versions of things he'd seen in magazines or on TV and altered them to look fabulous. He definitely didn't want these getting dirty. But after a quick inspection of the floor, he found it to be clean enough and sunk down opposite Blaine.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I didn't know…" Kurt started but Blaine shook his head.

"No, don't worry about it. I could have stopped you at any time, but I didn't. I guess it's just nice to meet someone who doesn't think you're a superhero because of something that you actually had nothing to do with." Kurt tilted his head to one side and tried to read the expression of the boy, but he just looked tired.

"Sorry, I don't know why I'm talking to you, I just had a feeling…" Blaine looked up, his warm hazel eyes filled with some kind of emotion. They seemed to be searching for something in Kurt's face.

"What kind of feeling?" Kurt tested carefully.

"I don't know, it's kind of weird isn't it? I met you for a few minutes and you were more honest with me than anyone has been these last few months. It just felt nice to have an actual discussion, rather than be surrounded by people who agree with everything you say." Kurt finally recognised the emotion written all over Blaine's face. It was loneliness. This boy who got to go out on stage every night and perform in front of huge crowds of screaming fans felt isolated, just like he did. Kurt reached his hand out without thinking and squeezed the other boy's knee, as if to tell him he was there. Blaine shook the expression of his face and broke into his usual charming smile.

"Feel completely free to say no here, but do you want to exchange numbers? We're from Ohio so we're taking a break in the middle of the tour to hang out at home for about a week. I don't really know anyone from school anymore and most people just treat me differently now. You kind of make me feel normal, you know?"

Kurt smiled weakly. He had never really had any guy friends at school, they were all scared of being bullied for hanging out with the gay kid. And then, whenever a guy was actually nice to him, Kurt had this annoying tendency to develop a crush on the person in question and then have to realise all over again that he would be single until college, maybe even later. So most of the time he just hung out with the girls, even though that got depressing too. With all their guy drama they never once stopped to appreciate that they were actually allowed to act on their crushes, when others weren't as lucky.

"Sure," Kurt didn't know who was more surprised at the answer. He had planned on saying no, he didn't need a friend who would disappear after a week, maybe sooner if he found out about his sexuality. Blaine was grinning now, looking thrilled with the answer. He held out his cell phone towards Kurt, who hesitated before taking it and reaching his own out. They typed their numbers in quickly and handed them back awkwardly, having to use both hands and almost dropping the phones.

Blaine quickly stood up, smoothing his shirt down. "Well, I've got to go talk to some people and anyway, I'm not the most entertaining guy to talk to right now. I've just got a lot on my mind. Could you come to this little coffee shop in Westerville tomorrow?" He scribbled down an address on a scrap of paper and handed it to Kurt.

Kurt still couldn't believe this was actually happening, that a celebrity had chosen to spend time with him during his week at home. Even if said celebrity was the lead singer of a cheesy boy band marketed for 13 year old girls. But hey, how often did that happen to anyone? Kurt stood up tall, back straight and eyed the address.

"I'm sure I can make time for it," he replied loftily, folding the paper carefully and putting it in his pocket. Blaine answered with an amused glance and slipped through a door that was, like the walls, covered in posters and flyers. Kurt hadn't even realised there was a door there, he had only seen the three black ones on either side of the corridor.

The sight that greeted Kurt at the backstage bar was entertaining, to say the least. Mercedes was sitting on one end of a couch, Wes on the other and David looked like he had squashed himself down in between and was glaring at his friend. Nick and Jeff were perched on the couch opposite and were holding onto each other in some kind of giggling fit. As soon as Mercedes saw Kurt approaching, she jumped up and excused herself, running over to her friend.

"What's going on?" Kurt gestured towards the group who now seemed to have moved on to some kind of heated debate. "Actually, tell me in the car, we should get going. My dad hasn't been mad at me yet for staying out late and tonight does not have to be the first time for that." Mercedes nodded and waved at the guys who all waved back cheerily, and then took Kurt's hand in hers and headed out to the car.

On the way home, Mercedes told the whole story of what had happened while Kurt was gone. She was talking to the guys and they were all great fun and then Wes started asking her questions about herself. During this time he had started moving closer to her and started giving her compliments on her outfit and her hair – this detail made Kurt beam with pride – and then suddenly David had jumped in between them on the couch, pushing Wes back to the other side. He started talking loudly about Audrey, the model Wes was dating right now and asked questions, how she was, what she was doing these days and when would they see her next. Apparently Wes had just replied that she was "probably feeling like shit considering she's doing ketamine and screwing the guy who introduced her to me in the first place." At that point, David had hissed something in Wes' ear that Mercedes didn't catch, but Jeff and Nick started laughing and couldn't stop and that's when Kurt came in to save her from the awkward situation.

Of course, Kurt should have known that he wouldn't be able to avoid telling Mercedes about Blaine. He tried to put it off by asking questions about the other guys in the band but his friend saw right through it.

"Ok boy, I know you got caught up in the energy at the show tonight but there is no way you actually like them now. So why don't you tell me what you were doing when you left me with the bad boy all night?"

Kurt took a deep breath and keeping his eyes fixed on the road, told Mercedes the story from beginning to end. He explained how he had bumped into Blaine in the corridor and insulted his band without realising who he was talking to. Mercedes was rolling her eyes in the passenger seat but Kurt kept staring at the road, refusing to let her interrupt in case it threw him off. He went on to tell her about how Blaine had seemed fed up with the band and how he wanted to talk to him later and then about their brief meeting in the corridor after the show. He left out the bits about Blaine seeming lonely and upset, it felt like he was lucky to have seen that at all and he shouldn't be sharing something so personal. When he was done, Mercedes reached her hand into Kurt's coat pocket and pulled out his phone, making Kurt turn his head to look at her for the first time since getting in the car. When her eyes went wide and her mouth opened slightly, Kurt figured that she had found Blaine's number.

"Do you think they're splitting up?" she asked cautiously. Kurt couldn't help it, he just grabbed his phone back and started laughing.

"Ok, that is definitely not what I expected you to ask!" Mercedes just pouted and pointed at the road.

"I'll get round to the rest in a bit. But seriously, from the sound of things, he doesn't like the band." Kurt just shrugged.

"I don't know," he answered, focusing on the road again. "We don't know the story so I don't think we should speculate either." He paused and looked over to see his friend obviously deep in thought. "Aren't you going to ask me more about my conversation with Blaine and try to figure out why he wanted my number now?"

Mercedes seemed pleased with this option and decided to spend the rest of the ride back switching between asking for details on the conversation with Blaine and recounting the things Wes had said to her before things started getting awkward.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I hadn't planned this chapter to go like this at all, but the boys had a lot of feelings (which suddenly made this story about three chapters longer)  
>Thanks again for reading and if any of you guys feel like talking to me on tumblr, I'm known as andthenhedestroysyou<em>

The Lima Bean was empty, it always was on the weekends. Blaine had chosen a Dalton Academy hangout spot to meet Kurt. On school days it would be full of rich kids in blue blazers, but on the weekends only the senior citizens who lived nearby would frequent the coffee shop.

He was early, Blaine realised, looking at his watch and decided to drive around the block. He wasn't going to risk walking in too early, in case there was someone there who wanted to talk to him and he got scared off before Kurt showed up. Blaine loved his fans, he wished he could talk to every one of them, make them feel special. But lately he didn't feel he could do it any more. There were a lot of things going on in his life, with the band and he felt as if he didn't have the right to do it, as if he didn't deserve to be admired by anyone.

And then there was Kurt, who didn't seem to care about who the rest of the world thought Blaine was. Even though he didn't know him, Kurt had squeezed his knee in an attempt to comfort him. If there was anyone Blaine could consider getting close to, it was him. He had freaked out that morning, worried that Kurt didn't want to meet him, that he actually didn't care, that he thought Blaine was just an insecure singer who had it all and was just ridiculously ungrateful. But it was the closest Blaine had come to finding a genuine friend in a long time, so he just took a deep breath and decided to go for it. If the boy didn't show up, he'd just get on with his life and maybe try to reconnect with his band mates.

The drive around the block had only managed to make Blaine even more nervous. He parked his car in total silence and slipped into his Performer Mode to help him get through the first bit.

Ordering coffee seemed so alien these days. Blaine never had to do it himself anymore, in fact, he tried to avoid it as much as possible, so he never had to deal with the "Oh my god, are you Blaine Anderson?" followed by streams of compliments. Luckily someone was already standing at the counter, ordering, so at least he got a moment to prepare.

Of course the barista recognised him. She lit up instantly and told him that her younger sister was a huge fan and wow, she'd never believe that he was actually in the Lima Bean where she worked! Blaine smiled charmingly and nodded, listening to the girl ramble on, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"That's so great, honey, but Blaine and I would really like to have a coffee in private, so how about he signs an autograph for your sister and you make sure no one bothers us? We have some important business to discuss." Blaine had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. He could see Kurt gesturing in the corner of his eye and knew he shouldn't have worried at all. The boy was tough and once again, Blaine got the feeling that he was safe with him. He pulled himself back into his charming Performer Mode and flashed his brightest smile.

"Hey, Kurt, didn't see you come in." He said casually, picking a napkin off the stack and retrieving a pen from his pocket. "What's your sister's name?" he asked, glancing up at the barista.

"Abby," she replied, slightly shocked at the interruption. Suddenly she seemed to remember to act professional and she straightened up and nodded.

"Sorry about that, can I take your order? Also, there's a table around the corner that's kind of hidden behind a screen, you could always sit there." Blaine finished signing the napkin and slid it across the counter.

"Well, I'll just have a medium drip and this guy will have a…" he waved his hand at Kurt, gesturing for him to finish the sentence.

"I'll have a non-fat mocha." Kurt was reaching for his wallet, but Blaine stopped him.

"This one's on me," he stated, passing the girl the cash to cover the cost plus a generous tip.

They stood in silence as they waited for their coffee but as soon as they sat down, Blaine burst out laughing.

"I think I need to fire my publicist," he gasped, catching his breath. "You just did a better job in two minutes than he's done all year." Kurt just snorted.

"Oh, you poor thing," he joked. "It must be so difficult being famous, having people acknowledge your talent." Blaine pretended to look shocked.

"Who said anything about talent? We all know people only like me for my good looks and dazzling charm." Kurt snorted again and took a sip of his mocha.

As they joked around for a bit, Blaine watched the boy opposite him. He seemed so sure of himself, so relaxed. He played around, making over-the-top facial expressions to match his jokes and constantly gesticulating with his hands. Also his sense of style was incredible. When Blaine had seen Kurt the previous night, wearing a perfectly fitted purple shirt with a white cardigan on top, he assumed he had dressed up. He realised now that he was wrong, looking at the fantastic black jacket with straps and zippers down one side that the boy was wearing. Kurt was the type of person who dressed up all the time.

"Admiring my fashion sense?" Blaine felt himself blush. He didn't realise he was staring.

"Oh sorry, I just love the jacket. Really, I didn't mean to stare." Kurt rolled his eyes, but a faint blush was appearing on his face too.  
>"Of course you do," he replied. Blaine leaned forward, looking directly into the other boy's eyes.<p>

"I apologise if I'm bringing the mood down, but I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate this. You don't know how long it's been since I was able to just hang out with someone like this." Kurt nodded, as if he understood and felt the same way.

"I don't exactly have any male friends so this is really nice for me too," he admitted, his face now definitely turning a bright shade of red.

"Really?" Blaine was surprised. Kurt was just so easy to talk to, he could never imagine that he'd have a hard time making friends.

"Look, I know I'm asking a lot from you here, wanting you to help me feel like a normal human being. So if there's anything I can help you with, please, let me."

The boy sitting opposite Blaine stared intently at the table for a moment.

"I'm gay," he whispered, before falling silent again. He kept his eyes fixed down, as if he was giving Blaine the chance to run away. When he seemed to be certain the boy would stay, he continued. "You probably knew that anyway, I'm such a stereotype. I'm the only kid out of the closet in my school. This kind of means guys don't talk to me because that makes them gay by association."

Blaine swallowed down the rest of his coffee, giving the other boy a moment to recover from the shock of telling his secrets to someone who was practically a stranger. He put his hand on top of Kurt's and felt a sharp pain jolt through him as shiny blue-gray eyes met his.

"Don't ever be ashamed of who you are." He said simply. Kurt smiled weakly and blinked back tears.

"I'm not," he answered. "I'm just tired of people treating me like I'm diseased." He took a deep breath and smiled. "So, I've just shared my major problem with you. How about I try to help you tackle one of yours? It's only fair."

It was Blaine's turn to take a deep breath. He wondered where to start, with the band and everything going on there or something more personal? He opened his mouth and was just about to say something when the barista stuck her head around the screen.

"You've been spotted," she winked and disappeared. Kurt straightened up and picked up his bag. Blaine quickly got to his feet and followed his new friend through the coffee shop, grinning as he brushed off the fans, saying that they were terribly sorry, but Blaine was very busy at the moment and couldn't stay to talk. The moment they walked out of the door, Kurt grabbed Blaine's arm and dragged him over to his car.

"Let's go for a drive."

* * *

><p>They drove around in silence for a bit until they reached a park behind a small residential neighbourhood. Without saying a word, they got out of the car and walked towards the far corner of the park until they found a bench that was sufficiently hidden by trees.<p>

"I don't believe in stereotypes," Blaine said after a moment. Kurt looked at him, but didn't say anything in response.

"I mean, in The Warblers, we all have our roles, but none of us are like that when we're not performing." Kurt pulled his feet up onto the bench and hugged his knees.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"I love going up on stage and singing. But I don't like having to act as this person every day, I don't like singing songs that I didn't write, that I can't relate to. I don't like having to hide who I am." Kurt sighed and stretched his legs out again, struggling to get comfortable.

"Thank you," Blaine whispered.

"For what?" Kurt enquired just as softly.

"Putting up with my crazy even though you have no reason to? Not running away even though I'm emotionally clingy and attached to you?" Kurt smiled shyly and shook his head.

"It's ok, I like you." he replied, looking at the ground.

Blaine knew he should tell him. But he didn't know where to begin. He thought he had known in the coffee shop, but that all seemed wrong and irrelevant.

"Hey," he said gently and as the other boy's head tilted up slowly, he knew. He panicked for about half a second and then decided to just go for it. He leaned in and pressed his lips softly to Kurt's. The kiss was over too quickly, but Blaine really needed to clarify a few things before going further.

"That wasn't just because you make me feel sane. Or because I happen to know you're gay. It's because you make me feel _alive_. And I really, really like you too." He lifted his left hand and stroked Kurt's cheek with his thumb and kissed him again. This time it was firmer, more deliberate, but still sweet and full of emotion. He felt the other boy exhaling through his nose and the breath tickled his face slightly. Kurt's hand landed on his chest and pushed him back purposefully.

"Blaine." He sighed. "This is too fast, I only met you yesterday. Are you even gay? Because you flirt with a lot of girls and I really don't need to be an experiment."

Blaine leaned back on the bench and covered his face with his hands. He sat like that for a moment trying to work his way through his thoughts. When he brought them down again, Kurt was just sitting there, watching him patiently.

"I'm definitely gay. The main problem I've been having lately with the band is that I want to come out but my managers won't let me. I've tried quitting, but they're not having that either."

Kurt nodded thoughtfully. He looked like he wanted to say something, but instead sat silently, waiting for Blaine to go on.

"I've been given this incredible thing but I don't feel I deserve it. I don't appreciate it. All I want right now is to be who I am, rather than this character I play on stage every night. And the person I really am wants to be with you, so badly."

"I understand where you're coming from and how it must be hard for you. But you make a living out of singing, do you even know what I'd do for that opportunity? And then I'm stuck in some lousy high school where I get bullied every single day for my sexuality. We're from completely different worlds, I want romance and acceptance and you… I don't even know what you want!" Kurt threw his hands up in frustration and rubbed his sleeve at the corner of his eye.

"I'll give you romance," Blaine promised, now pleading with the boy next to him. "I want the same thing, I'm a teenager just like you. I want a normal relationship with a normal person that I like."

"You don't even know me!" Kurt shouted, but quickly lowered his voice again. "We met yesterday, this is too fast." Blaine felt the tears welling up in his eyes too, he screwed it up, of course he did. He always managed to screw things up.

"Kurt, I'm in town for a week. I'd love to take things slow and build up from a steady friendship, but I don't have time. Just, let me be with you this week and we'll see where it goes from there." This only seemed to make Kurt even more frustrated. He leaned back and turned his head to the side, looking away from Blaine.

"So I can get attached to you and then you leave me here? This can't work, Blaine."

"Then we'll hang out as friends. Please, I don't want to lose you." Blaine was aware that he sounded ridiculously clingy, but then, he had never hidden that from Kurt anyway. "Sleep on it and text me in the morning?"

Kurt just got up and started walking through the park. "Come on, I'll drive you back to your car."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Ahh, so many alerts, you guys flatter me and freak me out at the same time! I was planning to have this up last night, but I had various responsibilities and a fair bit of writer's block. A lot more feelings and talking in this chapter, this story is nowhere near as light and happy as originally intended. Also, because I fail at actually describing things, I'm going to point out that this whole thing takes place in the winter, which kind of makes sense as it's "Post-Furt". So I probably screwed up, not mentioning it in the park bit in the last chapter, but yeah, moving on. _

The house was silent for once. Kurt had come home to find a note on the table stating that Finn was out with some of the guys on the football team and Carole and Burt had decided to go out to see a movie. Usually Kurt would take advantage of this kind of situation and listen to one of his favourite playlists on full volume, put together a spectacular outfit and practice his singing or dancing. But this time he decided to take advantage of the silence and sort out his thoughts.

He lay on the bed, uncomfortable with the lack of sound and movement around him. He was so used to chaos now that he didn't even know if he could think without it. Inside his mind, various versions of his own voice screamed different instructions at him, all contradicting each other. There were the ones that told him to go for it, who knew when he'd get that kind of chance again, but then there were others that told him not to leap for the first gay guy he met, especially not one who was going to up and leave in a few days. Some versions told him he deserved a little romance, some said to wait for a person who could really love him and stick around for him. Then there was the one who said that he didn't deserve anything at all and he should just go back to being miserable. Kurt pushed that one out of his mind instantly.

He kept sorting them, throwing out the thoughts that felt dark, destructive and keeping the ones that made him feel light and fluffy. There was one in particular that made him feel this way. "You're a teenager," it said. "You need to try things, make mistakes, feel something. You might not get a chance like this again until college."

After the words cleared up, the images made their way through. The pictures of the stunning boy with beautiful warm eyes and dark, curly hair took up most of the space. His face showed his smile, his laughter at first, but then came his isolation and bitterness. Pushing through those images came the final one, showing his nervousness and then Kurt felt it. Those soft lips against his, the thumb on his cheek. He shivered as he remembered the heat flowing through his body and just melting against the other boy before catching himself and pushing him away.

He sighed and reached for his phone, trying to figure out what to write to Blaine. Even if it was only for a short amount of time, he could at least find out what it felt like to be wanted.

* * *

><p>The Monday passed painfully slowly. Ever since Kurt had made his decision, he was distracted by thoughts of the handsome singer and found himself shoved into lockers several times. The part of his mind that wasn't thinking about hazel eyes and coffee dates was thinking about how to keep Mercedes from noticing what he was thinking about. He was incredibly lucky the slushie machine wasn't working or he would have found himself covered in colourful, sticky ice several times that day. The jocks may be slow, but they could always tell when a victim was weaker and easier to get to.<p>

The school day had finally come to an end and Kurt had raced out of the school, apologising to the glee club and making excuses about having stuff to do. Finn had looked a little confused and Mercedes wasn't doing a very good job at hiding her anger. Kurt felt bad when he got into the car, the images of his friends' faces in his head. He loved them so much but they'd never understand, they never actually realised how _lonely_ he felt. And he didn't even know how much he was allowed to tell them, so he'd rather avoid them until he knew.

His thoughts turned back to Blaine. When Kurt had texted him the previous night, he had texted back an address in Westerville. He explained that he'd like to invite Kurt over to his house and Kurt, assuming that the other boy just didn't want to go out in public had accepted.

But Westerville was a long drive from Lima and it gave Kurt plenty of time to ask himself questions, second-guess himself and become the insecure teenage boy who pined over boys he could never have all over again. By the time he finally pulled up in the Andersons' driveway, his excitement and confidence had completely vanished. He walked up the path, not knowing what to expect. The grand house in front of him even failed to impress him as he was still trying to figure out what was going on in his life suddenly.

The front door opened before Kurt even reached it and a mess of curls appeared from behind it. Blaine seemed to look around a little bit before stepping out of the house and towards Kurt.

"Can I hug you or is this awkward?" Kurt laughed dryly.

"If it wasn't awkward before, it is now." But he stepped forward and let the other boy wrap his arms around him anyway.

It felt nice, Kurt had never been held by another boy like this before. Sure, Finn gave him brotherly hugs every now and then, but this was different. He felt himself relax and the confidence started returning. This was warm and safe and Blaine smelled clean, like shampoo, rather than the sweet perfumes that the girls used.

Kurt pulled away and smiled a little. He was suddenly aware of his surroundings for the first time that day. It was early December and a chill in the air nipped at his cheeks and ears. He realised he was standing in front of a house, a huge house, that was almost definitely warm inside and tugged at the sleeve of Blaine's sweater.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" he asked jokingly. "I mean, it's lovely and all from the outside, but I was really hoping to warm up a little." Blaine nodded and led Kurt into the house, biting his lip. He was nervous, Kurt could tell, but he couldn't understand why. What could he possibly have to be nervous about? He was in a successful band, his home certainly looked impressive and he seemed to be pretty sane and well-adjusted, Kurt didn't think there would be any nasty surprises there.

"Are your parents in?" he asked, slipping out of his coat and scarf and passing them to Blaine, who had his hand stretched out.

"No, they're out of town this week," Blaine's shoulders were suddenly up by his ears and his jaw was clenched. Ah, Kurt thought. Family problems, that would explain why he was shifting his weight from one foot to the other and playing with the hem of his sweater. Kurt nodded and let Blaine lead him into the living room.

"I invited you over because I want to be completely honest with you. I want you to know the real me. If you don't want to hear it, just tell me and we can do something else or we could just forget the whole thing. I know I came on a little strong yesterday and I'm so sorry, it's just…"

"You don't really have the time to take it slow, I remember. And it's fine, I don't mind a little serious talk. All I hear these days is mindless gossip from the girls anyway. But I have one request."

Blaine looked a little more relaxed but still on edge. Of course, while Kurt had made up his mind about what he wanted from the other boy, he still hadn't told him. Now wasn't the time, though. This was probably better, he could hear about all the issues and if he changed his mind and decided he didn't like the guy, he could just back out.

"You have an amazing house and I'm fascinated with interior design. Give me a tour of the place?" Blaine smiled and extended his hand to Kurt.

"I can't take any of the credit for any of it, not even my room. We got someone in to do everything." He shrugged apologetically and began the tour.

Kurt took in every detail of the house as Blaine guided him around, making over-the-top gestures and impressions of his family. He soaked up the luxurious feel of the large rooms decorated with impeccable taste. The designer had gone for a running theme of dark wood and rich blues and greens throughout the house. All of the furniture seemed to hold a lot of history, pieces from different centuries that still managed to match somehow, thanks to the constant restoration they underwent. Large, intimidating portraits of important-looking men hung in most rooms and Blaine named most of them as they passed them.

"This," he said finally, stopping at a heavy oak door "is my room. We can sit in there and talk, or if it makes you feel uncomfortable, we can go back down to the living room." Kurt shook his head and squeezed the hand still in his.

"No," he urged. "This will be fine."

Kurt had been looking forward to seeing Blaine's room. The rest of the house, while beautiful, didn't seem lived in. The room where this boy with such a colourful personality had spent most of his teenage years, however, must be able to say something.

His heart sank as soon as he stepped through the doorway. There was nothing different here, it was perfectly tidy and decorated in the exact same deep oak and royal blue as most of the house.

"I did say I had nothing to do with my room," Blaine pointed out. Kurt blushed, he didn't realise his disappointment was that obvious. He watched Blaine throw himself on the bed and pat the spot next to him. After looking around for a moment, he decided that there wasn't really anywhere else to sit and joined him on the bed.

"My parents redecorated in here as soon as I left for the tour." Blaine explained. "As you probably figured they don't really care about me that much." Kurt tried to protest, but Blaine continued.

"No, really, they don't. I mean, I'm home for one week and they're not even here. Sure, when I showed up on Thursday, they threw a party for me, but they didn't invite anyone I know, just a bunch of people they do business with." Kurt took Blaine's hand in his own again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't ask you over to whine about my parents." Kurt purposefully hooked his gaze with Blaine's. "Don't apologise. It's obvious they're a big part of whatever's going on in your life and I completely understand if you want to talk about it."

Pain and insecurity flashed across the gentle hazel eyes. Blaine hung his head and sighed.

"I'm not sure about this anymore, I really don't want to burden you with my issues." Kurt started feeling increasingly frustrated with the situation. Why did he have to be interested in the one guy who had to make everything so damn complicated?

"Ok, let's do it this way. I'll start by telling you about everything that's wrong with my life and then you'll have to tell me. You backing out now is only making me more curious." Blaine smiled tiredly.

"That sounds like a good compromise."

So Kurt launched into a detailed description of the bullying, his dad's heart attack and that constant feeling that he never belonged anywhere. Once he started it was like he had opened a floodgate and everything came rushing out. He told Blaine about Karofsky, about Finn's homophobic outburst and how no one ever seemed to notice that everything was awful. By the end, he was crying silently. No loud sobbing or embarrassing sniffling, just tears making tracks down his cheeks.

A pair of arms made their way around Kurt's waist. This boy was making a whole list of new experiences for him, Kurt thought. For once, he was able to talk and have someone listen and maybe understand. He could cry in front of someone and rather than feel more isolated than ever, he could feel safe.

"Your turn," he whispered, wiping the tears off his face and pulling away from the embrace. Blaine nodded, looking a lot more confident than before.

"It feels like my life is planned out for me," he started, leaning back against the wall and pulling Kurt close to him. "Everyone expected me to go into business, like my dad or politics like my mom. They never wanted me to sing, but of course they weren't home to stop me. I managed to convince them to send me to Dalton, but I honestly don't think they even knew anything about the school, other than that it costs a hell of a lot of money.

I was happy there at first, everyone was into music and I started a little acapella group with Wes, David, Jeff and Nick. Then when we got approached by a manager at a parent's night that my folks of course failed to show up to, I was thrilled. I realised it was probably the only chance I'd ever have to make a living from my passion." Kurt curled up into Blaine's side and listened to him go on with the story.

While Blaine's voice had been light and cheerful when he talked about the early days, his voice started taking on a bitter tone as he carried on. He explained how nothing had been like they expected and suddenly they all had to take on new personalities in public and perform other people's songs. He felt like they were a group of puppets. Wes had taken his new bad boy attitude seriously and ended up in some trouble with girls and drink and David, who had been his best friend since they were eight, had stepped in to save him from himself. Jeff and Nick, who had been shy to begin with, were now even worse since some magazines had misquoted them in interviews and made them sound like idiots.

Managers planned out every minute of their days and Blaine had started feeling even more trapped than he had ever done under the control of his parents. During the stress of the tour and the album, Blaine was also struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. When he came out to his bandmates and managers, they were nothing but accepting and understanding and he was relieved for a little while, thinking they were better than his parents in that aspect. But then he was thrown into serious talks about how he couldn't ever let the public know and he was scared right back into the closet. On top of that, the managers were putting him on strict diets and choosing his hair and make up and he just ended up hating everything about his appearance. And now, Blaine finished, he was just so tired of everything and would give anything to be a normal teenager, who's main issues were homework and being pressured into business school by his dad.

The boys sat in silence for a moment. Blaine hadn't cried like Kurt had, but his speech was not short of emotion in any way. There were just no more tears to be spilled for his situation.

"I'm sorry, I understand if you think I'm an ungrateful brat." Kurt's jaw dropped slightly and he turned his head to stare at the boy sitting next to him. Blaine was hunched over and leaned away in shame. Kurt couldn't believe that he couldn't see that his problems were real, that he was allowed to be upset.

"It's alright to feel bad, Blaine." The other boy's head tilted up at the sound of his name. "It does actually sound like a living hell." Blaine laughed softly.

"I keep telling myself to be grateful," he offered, as if he was trying to make up for everything he had just said. Kurt reached forward and grabbed hold of Blaine's shoulders and pulled him back towards his own body. His face was once again just inches away from Blaine's and he took a second to appreciate the feeling of someone else's breath against his skin.

"I can't believe you don't think you're attractive, though." Kurt whispered against Blaine's lips and closed the distance between them. The kiss was different from the previous ones, it was desperate, needy. They had both finally found someone who could understand and be completely honest with them and they clung to it for dear life. Kurt opened his mouth and let Blaine's tongue slip in and explore.

Kurt's heart was beating harder and faster than ever. He remembered to breathe and forced himself to exhale through his nose. A hand was holding on to his jaw and another was stroking his arm. He moved his lips and tongue instinctively, surprised at how easy it was, how well he and Blaine fit together. His own hands were settled on the singer's shoulders, clutching tightly. A warm sensation, familiar and brand new at the same time swept over Kurt. He was wanted. And he wanted Blaine too. That list of new experiences was just getting longer.

"It's getting late," Blaine said, leaning away, leaving Kurt gasping. "We don't want your dad to worry." Kurt shut his eyes, mentally cursing the long drive ahead of him. He pulled himself together and stood up, trying to find that attitude he needed when he had to get things done.

"So, we both really want a normal teenage relationship, right?" He was surprised his voice was that steady, he felt a lot more wobbly.

"Tomorrow, you're going to pick me up from my house and you're taking me to Breadstix." Blaine looked confused and terrified at the same time.

"It's the standard date restaurant in Lima," Kurt shrugged. "Oh and don't worry, you won't have to meet my dad. He works late on Tuesdays." Blaine's expression softened and he grinned, obviously satisfied with the explanation.

"Sounds great," he replied. "I'll walk you to the car."

They held hands walking down the stairs and Blaine had reluctantly let go long enough for Kurt to put his coat and scarf back on, before claiming it back. They kissed again by the car, long and sweet, with none of the earlier desperation.

The drive home was filled with thoughts of Blaine. Kurt wanted to plan out every moment they had together. Although they couldn't be "normal" boyfriends for very long, they had to at least give it a shot and he wanted every minute to be perfect.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Hi. It's been a while, I know. I've been getting into my college routine and preparing for various performances and stuff. Also I had terrible writer's block on this chapter. The next few are already mostly written though, so it shouldn't be too long until the next update. Thanks for your patience, for your reviews and alerts and of course, thanks for reading this at all. _

It was difficult to focus on what David was saying. The Warblers had met up in a dance studio to run through some new choreography for the last stretch of the tour but it didn't feel important to Blaine. Sure, he was glad that they got to mix up the set a bit, a month of playing the same songs and doing the same dances every night got tedious, but there were bigger issues on his mind.

"Blaine, are you ok?" Jeff asked after the lead singer bumped into him for the fifth time.

"You usually pick up on this stuff in no time," Nick added, casually folding his legs beneath him and dropping to the floor in one swift move. The other Warblers followed quickly and stared up at Blaine inquisitively. He knew there was no escape and figuring there was no harm in sharing, he joined them on the floor and told them all about Kurt.

Once he started, he found he couldn't stop. His energy bubbled right over and he explained how they had met, how they had clicked right away and that they were going out on a date that night. The other boys sat with huge grins on their faces and listened, obviously suppressing urges to interrupt and make jokes.

Blaine felt his smile growing as he talked, these were his friends. They had always been there when he needed him and they'd be there for this as well.

"Finally," Wes shouted as soon as Blaine had finished, high-fiving David. "Not about the story, that was just awesome. But wow guys, our bitter front man has finally found himself a boyfriend!" Blaine felt himself blush and turned his head sharply as Jeff squeezed his arm.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" He asked sincerely. "We've been worrying about dance moves for the past hour when obviously, we should have been trying to throw together a perfect outfit for a first date with this fabulous mystery guy."

David shot up and dashed to the corner of the dance studio where he had carelessly tossed his bag earlier. "You're worried about outfits? Someone has to call this place in advance and warn them!" He rummaged through the pockets of the bag and pulled his phone out, waving it triumphantly. "Breadstix, right? I'll get right on it, my good sir." With that, he rushed out of the room.

Of course, Blaine hadn't even thought about that. He was the kind of person who had to call in advance and request to be seated right at the back so no one could see him and his gorgeous date. He felt his mood drop instantly and apparently, so did everyone else.

"No!" Wes, Nick and Jeff cried out at the same time.

"You're too young to be this bitter." Nick said dramatically, grabbing Blaine's wrist and pulling him up to spin him around.

"Come on, smile! You're going on a first date with a guy and we're going to do all we can to make sure it's magical." Blaine smiled, his band mates' energy was infectious.

"You're just sick of me moping," he teased, poking Nick in the side.

"There's that," the brunet agreed, nodding solemnly.

"But mainly, we feel bad for you," Wes cut in. "I mean what good is the fame and fortune when you can't abuse it to hook up?" He laughed at the murderous look Blaine shot him and continued. "Well obviously, this isn't just a random hook-up for you, Mr Romantic. But you know, some of us are getting with girls all the time and you're expected to hide in the closet. You're our friend and we just want to see you smile every now and then."

David skipped back into the room, half-singing that Breadstix would now be prepared for a very special customer and his famous guest. Blaine just laughed and pulled all his friends in for a group hug.

"Thanks guys," he said softly. "But no magic, I just want a normal date. And we're gonna have to be very discreet about the whole thing in case anyone sees us." The other boys groaned and complained that Blaine was boring, but promised to stay out of it.

* * *

><p>This was it. Blaine was walking up the path to Kurt's house. It was cute, smaller than his own, but it felt warm and friendly, even from the outside. Before he even reached the front door, Kurt was rushing out and pushing him back towards the car.<p>

"My step-brother's home," he gasped. "I don't know why, he's not supposed to be. I had to stand guard by the window so he didn't see you. Of course that just made him even more curious." Blaine opened the car door and let Kurt in before walking round and letting himself in.

"Are you ashamed of me?" he asked, pretending to be shocked. Kurt laughed and shook his head while fiddling with his seatbelt.

"No way, he's just incapable of keeping his mouth shut. Not in a gossipy way, he just doesn't know when to shut up and usually doesn't think before speaking."

"I can see how that could be a problem," Blaine agreed, starting the car and pulling out of the driveway. He wished he could meet Kurt's family. He wanted to see the man who raised him, wanted to know more about his home life. Blaine forced the thoughts out of his head and turned his attention to his date.

Kurt was stunning, of course. He had dressed up in a forest green shirt and an impeccably fitted black jacket. His hair was perfectly coiffed and most people stared at him when they entered the restaurant, rather than at Blaine. The place was practically empty except for a few couples here and there, who were all very much into their own dates and didn't seem like the type of people who would recognise him anyway.

They were ushered to their table quickly and Blaine could see why they were placed there. This part of the restaurant was hidden behind plants and a large pillar. It was also the farthest away from the windows.

"Don't look so nervous," Kurt smiled, grabbing Blaine's hand over the table. "It's a Tuseday, not exactly date night in Lima." Blaine relaxed, letting his shoulders fall before pulling his hand back.

It was awkward. Blaine wanted to hold Kurt's hand, but someone could walk over at any time and see. It felt weird enough anyway, trying to go on a first date _after_ having the big emotional talks. They felt close, like proper boyfriends, but at the same time, they had only known each other for a few days.

It got better quickly. They relaxed into a friendly style of banter and started joking around with each other. Kurt complimented Blaine on his outfit, but made a comment about the amount of product he had in his hair. They talked about interests and found out that they had the same favourite musicals, books and type of movies. Kurt told Blaine about his dad's tire shop and that he sometimes helped out there. Blaine almost choked on his drink and couldn't help but make a few jokes about it, mostly connecting to Kurt's fashion sense (the phrase "mechanic chic" may have been used once or twice).

At one point, Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand under the table. They linked their fingers together and smiled at each other like they shared a secret. Neither one was particularly aware of the food in front of them or the other people in the restaurant.

The waitress had just vanished into the kitchen as Blaine heard a click. He turned sharply to find himself staring into a cell phone camera as a girl of about fifteen snapped photos of him repeatedly. Kurt huffed and looked annoyed for a second before snatching the phone out of her hand.

"I'm sorry darling, but is there any chance you could let my friend and I finish our dinner in peace? I'm sure if you asked, he'd be delighted to let you have a photo, but we're right in the middle of something." The girl glared at Kurt, who gave his best passive-aggressive smile right back.

"Give me my phone back," she snapped before turning to Blaine, who was getting out of his seat. She flashed him a sugary smirk and started gushing about how great he was and how she had the album and went to see their concert the other night. Blaine just smiled nervously, completely unprepared for the situation.

"Ok, sweetheart, that's great. He's very flattered. But we've really got to get going now, right, Blaine?" Kurt was still trying to be happy and charming and got up, tugging his date along with him.

At that moment, Wes and David burst through the doors of the restaurant, talking loudly. They headed straight over to the corner where Kurt and Blaine were cornered by the girl.

"Hey guys," David shouted. "Sorry we're so late, you ready to leave yet?" Blaine finally shook himself out of his daze and caught on.

"Yeah, we're set. Is Andy mad at us?" Wes nodded and grasped Kurt's arm, leading him out of the restaurant. Blaine threw some bills on the table and followed quickly, talking to David.

* * *

><p>The air was cool in the parking lot. Blaine hadn't realised just how worked up he had gotten in the restaurant, but he felt his face cool right down from the brisk walk to the car.<p>

Wes and David waved at the boys and headed to a car parked by a window that had a perfect view of the far corner of the restaurant. "Hope to see you again soon, Kurt!" Wes called out of the window as they left the parking lot.

Kurt got into the car and collapsed into the seat, laughing.

"Ok, I'm sure that wasn't supposed to be funny. But you should have seen your face! You just froze. And then when those guys bust in…" his voice trailed off into fits of giggles. Blaine just grinned at the shaking figure in the passenger seat. He shook his head and started up the car.

Kurt seemed to have calmed down during the drive. It was probably the adrenaline from the bizarre situation, he claimed. And besides, it was all his fault for demanding a date in such a public place. Blaine tried to argue, say that no, it was nobody's fault but Kurt wouldn't have it.

"I'll make it up to you tomorrow," he promised as Blaine pulled up at the end of Kurt's street. "I'll plan the perfect date. You can meet me here again, but I'm driving." He leaned across to kiss Blaine shyly on the lips. As he pulled away, Blaine saw that Kurt's face had flushed a pale shade of red.

"You're blushing." He whispered, going back in for another kiss.

"I'm just not used to this," Kurt muttered against the other boy's lips.

Blaine felt eyelashes sweep against his cheeks and lifted his head quickly to kiss Kurt's nose.

"Neither am I. But I enjoy it a lot." Kurt smiled at this and pulled himself back.

"I have to go now. My dad's probably already noticed the car and we don't want me to be grounded for the rest of the week, do we?" Blaine shook his head.

"I don't want you to have to lie to your dad about me, Kurt."  
>"Oh no, I'm not. But if I stay out here any longer he might wonder what I'm getting up to and ground me just in case." With that, he let himself out of the car and marched up the path to his house.<p>

Blaine left straight away, though he didn't really know where he was driving. He was still focusing on that warm, bubbly feeling inside him. He thought about those beautiful blue-gray eyes and that wide smile he got to see whenever Kurt forgot that he was self-conscious about his teeth. He thought about the soft hand in his under the table and the warm breath mixing with his as they talked with their faces just inches from each other.

What he tried not to think about was saying goodbye on Saturday.


End file.
